The Conquest of Crete

The Conquest of Crete
Scenario information
Game	Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
Campaign	Glory of Greece
Civilization	Greeks
Color	Blue
Scenario no.	3
Previous	Acropolis
Next	The Trojan War
Setting information
Year	1420 BC
Other versions
Original	Ionian Expansion
Map

The Conquest of Crete is the third scenario of the Glory of Greece campaign in Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, replacing Ionian Expansion and being a rework of I'll Be Back.

Scenario instructions

• Return of Rome
• Definitive Edition

Description

“	Crete, 1420 BCE. After having acquired a valuable artifact for the Minoans, you have discovered that they plan to pay you not in coin but in blood. Led by a group of seven elderly priests, the Minoans have surrounded your company and treacherously attacked! Hopelessly outnumbered, your only chance of survival is to flee. Escape the clutches of the Minoans and search for allied troops in the area. Once you have gathered your strength, return to Crete and exact your vengeance. Beware, for some of the locals support the Minoans. Destroy their temple and reclaim the Artifact for Mycenae.	”
—In-game section

Starting conditions

• Starting Age: Bronze Age
• Starting resources: None
• Population limit: 50
• Starting units:
  • 7 Cavalry
  • 4 Composite Bowmen
  • 4 Scout Ship
  • 3 Light Transport

• Gaia units:
  • 2 War Galley
  • 1 Light Transport
  • 6 Heavy Transport
  • 4 Priests
  • 4 Elephant Archer
  • 6 Long Swordsman
  • 6 Composite Bowman
  • 4 Heavy Cavalry
  • 6 Horse Archer
  • 2 Catapult
  • 4 Ballista

Objectives

1. Escape to the allied town in the south (5, Orange).
2. Capture the Artifact.
3. Destroy the Minoan Temple.

Hints

1. The Mycenaeans are restricted to the Bronze Age.
2. Search for friendly forces – joining them will be vital to your success.
3. Escape the initial encounter quickly, but thereafter proceed carefully.
4. The forces giving you the opportunity to escape do not appear on the starting screen. If you cannot immediately find them, use the idle military hotkey to locate them.

Description

“	Crete, 1420 BCE. After having acquired a valuable artifact for the Minoans, you have discovered that they plan to pay you not in coin but in blood. Led by a group of seven elderly Priests, the Minoans have surrounded your company and treacherously attacked! Hopelessly outnumbered, your only chance of survival is to flee. Escape the clutches of the Minoans and search for allied troops in the area. Once you have the gathered your strength, return to Crete and exact your vengeance. Beware, for some of the locals support the Minoans. Destroy their Temple and reclaim the Artifact for Mycenae.	”
—In-game section

Starting conditions

• Starting Age: Bronze Age
• Starting resources: 300 food, 250 wood, 100 gold, 100 stone
• Population limit: 50
• Starting units:
  • 4 Cavalry
  • 4 Composite Bowmen

• Gaia units:
  • 13 Improved Bowmen
  • 10 Villagers
  • 8 Hoplites
  • 4 Cavalry

Objectives

• Capture the Artifact.
• Destroy the Temple.

Hints

• Search for friendly forces—joining them will be vital to your success.
• Escape the initial encounter quickly, but thereafter proceed carefully.
• The forces giving you the opportunity to escape do not appear on the starting screen. If you cannot immediately find them, use the idle military hotkey (default ',') to locate them.
• The Mycenaeans are restricted to the Bronze Age—you cannot advance to the Iron Age.

Players

• Return of Rome
• Definitive Edition

Player

• Player ( Greeks): The player starts with two packs of units. The Composite Bowmen are trapped inside the Minoas base and doomed. The Cavalry start at the entrance and are forced to seek help.

Enemies

• Pelasgians ( Greeks): has scattered Sentry Towers on the middle island
• Minoans ( Minoans): The Minoans reside in a mountain fortress in the northern corner of the map, guarded by many towers. They start with a huge army made of Composite Bowmen, Short Swordsmen, and Priests. Both objectives are located in the center of the fortress: the Temple and the Artifact.
• Minoan Scouts ( Minoans): has scattered band of units, which include Improved Bowmen and Ballistas on the middle island, waiting to ambush the player's units.

Ally

• Mycenaean Allies ( Greeks): The Mycenaean Allies are located in the south of the map. They replace the gaia base in the original game with an animated village (one fishing, one repairing a house, one training like an archer next to the archery range and 4 villagers cutting wood on the forest), they wait for the player to arrive to offer them their army.

Player

• Player ( Greeks): The player starts with two packs of units. The Composite Bowmen are trapped inside the Minoas base and doomed. The Cavalry start at the entrance and are forced to seek help.

Enemies

• Pelasgians ( Greeks): the Pelasgians occupy two ports and two small bases in the eastern half of the map. They also possess several Watch Towers and a small Hoplite army which is being enlarged during the game
• Minoans ( Minoans): The Minoans reside in a mountain fortress in the northern corner of the map, guarded by many towers. They start with a huge army made of Composite Bowmen, Short Swordsmen, and Priests. Both objectives are located in the center of the fortress: the Temple and the Artifact.
• Minoan Scouts ( Minoans): The Minoan Scouts' base is located in the woods in the western corner of the map. They start with units (including a Ballista) and are close to the player's future base.

Strategy

• Return of Rome
• Before Return of Rome

The initial units start right in the middle of the enemy city on the acropolis, surrounded by enemy troops and Priests. The slow foot archers cannot escape in time so the player should immediately select all Cavalry and rush outside the enemy's base, towards the ships on the river. The starting archers can be used to kill a few of the enemy Priests. The player's ships on the river are also under attack by the enemy War Galleys, the player should win the fight even without paying attention, and without losing a single ship with a bit of micro. The player should then task their warships to attack the nearest Dock to prevent new enemy warships from appearing there.

Load the Cavalry into the Light Transport and unload them on the other side at the center of the map. This landmass is scattered with many enemy outposts, consisting of Watch Towers, Ballistae, and Improved Bowmen. The player's cavalry should be able to rush past them without taking any losses and minimal damage. The path from the center of the map and directly moving south is one of the safest, and upon reaching the southern river's bank they will find a gaia Light Transport that they can capture. The player starts with one in the eastern part of the southern river already, which they can use to find the other ships, especially a few Heavy Transports on the western end of the river.

Move the units to the allied city to find and take control of the rest of the Greek army. Unlike the pre-Return of Rome versions, the player gets neither the buildings, nor the Villagers, nor any resources. Even if the player switches stance with their ally and converts the Villagers, they can do nothing without any resources to build or repair.

The player needs to utilize this army alone to complete the objectives. After transporting the army to the central landmass, the player can clear out the enemy outposts using their Ballistae and Catapults, but this is not necessary. In the southwestern end of this landmass, three Heavy Transports can also be found, in case the player has lost their starting Light Transports or finds their limited capacity cumbersome to use.

Once the player's large army has been moved to the northern landmass again, it can wipe out the Minoans very easily.

The initial Bowmen are doomed, so switch immediately to the cavalry east of them. Follow the path south-east and pass a red outpost. The player should then turn south-west until they discover and seize a neutral base - the allies (they may also discover small neutral groups on the journey).

Build some fishing vessels for food and task the Villagers to gather wood and gold. North-west of the base is another goldstock which will be mined by Minoan Scouts. To secure the resources and cut off that enemy from gathering gold, train a huge cavalry force, some more Hoplites, and some Stone Throwers. Seize the area and destroy the nearby tower. Use the cavalry force to repeal the Bowmen counter-attack. Secure the site with two towers.

Now turn attention to the Pelasginians and max out the population limit with some Stone Throwers, Priests, and many Hoplites. Destroying that enemy should not be difficult. Next, destroy the Minoan scouts entirely and replace lost Hoplites with cavalry.

The Minoans rely on towers and dozens of Composite Bowmen; the latter do too much damage to the Hoplites, so attack the heavy fortifications with Stone Throwers and send in the cavalry when they encounter huge packs of Bowmen. Approach the center of the base and beware of several Priests who attempt to convert troops. Slaying them is sometimes difficult in that cramped space. Make the Stone Throwers clear the way until they can finally destroy the Temple. In most cases, the player wins the scenario immediately after the temple is down, since the Artifact is still under the player's control.

History

Historical notes

“	The Minoan culture formed a robust presence on the island of Crete and the surrounding seas for over two millennia, lasting roughly from 3600 BCE to 1420 BCE. The causes of its decline are not entirely clear, although the catastrophic eruption of Thera, which devastated much of the eastern Mediterranean, stands out as a likely culprit. The damage that the eruption and its aftermath caused to Minoan Crete, and many of their trading partners, probably hamstrung their economy, which was dependent on the commercial import and export of goods. Minoan Crete was marked by numerous impressive institutions and advancements, particularly in the spheres of seafaring and writing. The Minoans were adept at navigating the Mediterranean, making contact and trading with many neighboring cultures across the sea. This legacy was represented in their art, particularly through the stunning frescoes of watercraft, fishermen, and sea life that adorn their artifacts. Their economy was predicated on trade and domination of the nearby sea routes, not on agriculture as was primarily the case in neighboring regions. Their settlements and palaces were relatively minimally fortified, demonstrating a reliance on their naval forces to stave off invasions. Through contact with eastern cultures in Egypt, Lebanon, and Canaan, the Minoans acquired not only wealth but also various technological and intellectual advancements. However, such monumental success inevitably drew the attention of their neighbors. Sometime between the late 15th and early 14th centuries BCE (accounts vary), the Minoan palace centers were overrun by Mycenaean invaders. It is probable that the Mycenaeans observed the declining trend of Minoan civilization in the period following the natural disasters that befell the region, and determined that the time was right to strike decisively and eliminate a rival.	”
—In-game section

Victory

“	Fueled by fury at the treachery of the Minoans, your men struck back decisively. The Minoan temple lies destroyed, a smoldering ruin and a warning to any who should attempt such deceitful actions in the future. Your soldiers rejoice at their victory, pillaging the Minoan lands, carrying off their wealth, and enjoying countless casks of Cretan wine. With this great success, your people have eliminated their main trading rival in the region, taking control of the valuable routes of commerce that once lavished wealth upon the Minoan palaces.	”
—In-game section before Return of Rome

Loss

“	Having suffered disastrous losses to the Minoan betrayal, only a handful of your men made it off the island. They were soon hunted down and slain, but you were not so lucky. For weeks now, you have languished in a dark cell, living off worms and dirt. You nurture the faint hope that some of your men might have escaped and could return with reinforcements, but with each passing day that notion becomes more and more bleak. The door to your cell opens, and a pair of guards drag you out to your execution. Meet your fate without fear...	”
—In-game section before Return of Rome

Changes

• In the Definitive Edition: The rivers separating the three islands are removed, turning it into a single island. The naval portion of the scenario takes place on the eastern side of the map.
• In Return of Rome: The map is the same as I'll Be Back, with some minor changes. The major change is lacking any way to build a base.